Mama Jones' Famous Cranberry Relish Mold

Mama Jones' Famous Cranberry Relish Mold

I've been itchin' in anticipation because turkey day is getting so close. I posted my favorite recipes to put on the table a couple days ago, and y'all should totally make some of those... err or all of them. Either one works for me really. Well today, Peej & I got crackin' on potentially our family's favorite dish... Mama Jones' Cranberry Relish Mold. Now normally any time I hear the word, "mold", I do NOT want it. But, this my friends, is very different. It's so popular that we often have to make two of them because one almost always gets eaten before the important day. This relish might not look like anything special, but it truly is an important part of our family tradition. Fresh cranberries, oranges, apples, and toasted pecans are finely chopped up, and then stirred together with some flavored jello to hold the mold in place. I'm not quite sure where the original recipe came from, and neither do my parents, but I know it tracks back to my grandmother, MiMi, and my great grandmother, Mama Jones. These were the first women in my family to truly love cooking and make it a part of their daily life, so we always have to make this dish in honor of them. And if we don't, then I'm pretty sure my dad would slap us blind. Sometimes we add some fresh jalapeno in when we're feelin' extra spicy, but that decision is purely up to y'all!! Enjoy :)

fresh cranberries, orange peel, + cara cara oranges

Adding in the toasted pecans...

For the Cranberry Relish Mold:

1lb Fresh Cranberries

3 Large Oranges, Zested (using a peeler) & Cut into Quarters

2 Granny Smith Apples

2C Sugar

1C Toasted Pecans, Finely Chopped

2 Packs of Flavored Jello (we like raspberry, black cherry, or cranberry flavored)

1 Packet of Unflavored Gelatin

2C Strained Juice + Water

1 Medium Jalapeno, Finely Minced (optional, if you want it spicy)

Directions:

1. Toast the pecans in a pan, and then finely chop them by hand. Set them aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind the cranberries, apples, orange zest peels, and quartered oranges (remove the bitter white pith with a sharp knife) until it is coarse and finely chopped (if you want to add in the fresh jalapeno, mince it up with the other fruit). Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes to extract as much juice as possible.

3. Strain the juice from the chopped fruit into a large measuring cup, and then fill it up with water in order to reach a total of 2C of liquid (orange juice or cranberry juice can be substituted for water instead).

4. Bring the 2C liquid to a boil and add in 3 packs of gelatin, stirring to dissolve. Let it cool slightly to set and thicken before adding it to the fruit. Pour the gelatin liquid over the chopped fruit and stir to coat and combine. Pour into a mold of your choosing.

5. Refrigerate overnight or until it has completely set and chilled.

Here are some pictures of our early Thanksgiving prep...

Southern Braised Collard Greens + Roasted Garlic-Boursin Mashed Potatoes

these... are my jam.

whippin' them up!!

Roasted Garlic-Boursin Mashed Potatoes that will turn into mashed potato casserole, yum :)

Chunky Biscoff Cookie Crust for Cheesecake

The always popular, Pumpkin-Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Homemade Mulled Five Spice Simple Syrup for Autumn Moscow Mules

Retro Chocolate-Bacon-Peanut Butter Pie with Bacon-Peanut-Shortbread Cookie Crust, Peanut Butter Mousse Filling, & Chocolate Ganache Topping Garnished with Crushed Peanut-Candied Bacon Crumble & Bourbon-Maple Whoop

Retro Chocolate-Bacon-Peanut Butter Pie with Bacon-Peanut-Shortbread Cookie Crust,
Peanut Butter Mousse Filling, & Chocolate Ganache Topping Garnished with
Crushed Peanut-Candied Bacon Crumble, & Bourbon-Maple Whoop

The title is a mouth-full isn't it? Well, trust me, your mouth will absolutely be full when you take a bite of this over-the-top pie. I have always loved peanut butter pie and it's kind of a retro, diner classic that my taste buds drifted towards as a child. When I ate it in the past, it was almost always made with an Oreo cookie crust and a simple dollop of whipped cream, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and make a bad-ass peanut butter pie... with BACON y'all. Lots and lots and lots of bacon. I mean there's even bacon bits in the crust. And by the way, the Bacon-Peanut-Shortbread cookie crust is the best part. It's peanut buttery and studded with crispy bits o' bacon that just makes my heart melt. It just has the best texture. I love the crust so much that I divide & conquer this pie into thirds, starting with the crust first. Oh yeah baby, this is what dreams are made of. The peanut butter filling is nothin' special, but so simplistic & delicious. It's creamy and silky, and sticks to the roof of your mouth like you're just eatin' a spoon of peanut butter out of the jar at midnight. Yes, I know we all do it. And what's better than peanut butter & chocolate? Nothin' y'all. So I knew that I had to add a thick layer of chocolate ganache to finish the pie, making it taste like a huge Reese's Cup. But that wasn't enough for me was it? Apparently not, since I made a ridiculous Roasted Peanut-Candied Bacon Crumble to shove into that chocolate ganache topping. I know that y'all can feel your chests start to tighten, but don't turn away now folks, it's just gettin' good. Finally, you hav'ta top your slice of pie with a big ole' dollop of homemade Bourbon-Maple Whoop (or whipped cream as some people call it). And you can taste that Bourbon mixed in there, and that's the only way it should be. I mean I think it's a state law in Georgia that you have to add in booze and bacon into any & every recipe that you can, and I'm totally on board because this pie is to. die. for. But, don't get me wrong, it's as rich as can be, so cut you a small slice, ya'hear? Glad I cleared that up. You can serve this just refrigerated, where the peanut butter is ooey-gooey, or you can do what we do, and freeze it, so it tastes like ice cream pie. Yum yum yummmm!! Enjoy :)

Isn't this pie just gorgeous?

Look at the Roasted Peanut-Candied Bacon Crumble Topping

You gotta have the whoop, y'all!

For the Bacon-Peanut-Shortbread Crust:

1C Peanuts, Unsalted & Dry-Roasted

½C AP Flour

¼t Salt

¼t Baking Soda

¼C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

¼C Sugar

2T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1 Large Egg Yolk

¼t Vanilla

6 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cooked until Extra Crispy

For the Peanut Butter Mouse Filling:

1C Heavy Cream

8oz Cream Cheese

1C Creamy Peanut Butter

1C Confectioners’ Sugar

14oz Can of Sweetened, Condensed Milk

1t Vanilla

1t Fresh Lemon Juice

For the Chocolate Ganache Topping:

1C Dark Chocolate Chunks

½C Heavy Cream

For the Crushed Peanut-Candied Bacon Crumble:

½C Roasted Peanuts, Crushed

½C Candied Bacon

1t Rendered Bacon Fat

For the Bourbon-Maple Whoop:

1C Heavy Cream

¼C Grade B Maple Syrup

2-3T Bourbon

Directions:

1. Spray a pie pan with Baking Pam and set it aside. 

2. For Bacon-Peanut-Shortbread Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse extra crispy bacon in a food processor until there are very fine pieces. Remove the bacon into a small bowl, and then peanuts into the same food processor and blend until a peanut butter forms, about 2 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda until incorporated. Using an electric mixer, beat together both sugars, peanut butter, small bacon pieces, and butter until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until well blended, about 3 minutes (the mixture will be clumpy). Gradually add in the dry ingredients with your hands and beat until just combined (it will be crumbly, but do not over-mix). Gather dough with your hands, place into the prepared pan, and press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Set this aside to let it cool completely before adding the peanut butter mousse filling.

3. For the Peanut Butter Mousse Filling: Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth. Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the piecrust. Refrigerate for a couple or until the peanut butter filling has hardened enough to spread on the chocolate ganache.

4. For the Chocolate Ganache Topping: In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream just to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until smooth. Pour or spoon the ganache over the top of the chilled (or hardened) peanut butter pie filling. Smooth the top with a spoon. While the ganache is still melted, sprinkle the crushed peanut-candied bacon crumble over the top. Refrigerate the pie for at least 3 hours or overnight.

5. For the Crushed Peanut-Candied Bacon Crumble: In a small bowl, toss together the crushed peanuts, candied bacon pieces, and bacon fat until thoroughly incorporated. Sprinkle this over the top of the chocolate ganache topping.

6. For the Bourbon-Maple Whoop: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream and maple syrup together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Whisk in the whiskey 1T at a time. With the mixer on high speed, continue whipping until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

7. Cut a slice of the peanut butter pie (refrigerated or frozen) and serve with a dollop of the Bourbon-Maple Whoop on top. Enjoy!

source: peanut butter pie for mikey.

Red Hot Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Okay, so after my montage of anniversary pictures, I gotta get focused back on the food :) As part of our celebration, I treated my Mountain Man to a yummy picnic at the park during the day. Our menu included Asian Arnold Palmer's (which we called Tiger Wood's), Pork Belly Banh Mi's, Asian Noodle Salad, & Red Hot Velvet Whoopie Pies. I should honestly be posting these recipes in order of how we ate them, but that's just not the way I roll. Dessert always comes first in this household. And it was just the yummiest ever. I was shocked at how much I loved these whoopie pies. I added cinnamon to the red velvet batter to reinforce the flavor. But the real shocker of cinnamon came from the cinnamon-cream cheese filling that was then rolled in crushed red hot candies. This dessert was perfect for our romantic picnic, but carried a fiery lustful punch! I really loved these... who would ever think cinnamon would work so great with red velvet? I didn't! I will be posting the rest of our recipes from our picnic later on this weekend! Enjoy :)

My Mountain Man Enjoyin' His Whoopie Pie

Everybody Loves Whoopies!

The Best Part: Crushed Red Hot Candies

Red Hot Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting & Crushed Red Hot Candies

For the Red Hot Velvet Whoopie Pies:

2C AP Flour

2T Cocoa Powder

½t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

1t Cinnamon

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1 Large Egg

1t Vanilla

½C Buttermilk, Room Temperature

1t White Distilled Vinegar

1oz Red Food Coloring

For the Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Filling:

1 8oz Block of Cream Cheese, Softened

5T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

2t Vanilla

2 ½C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted   

2t Cinnamon

Red Hot Candies, Slightly Crushed (for rolling) & Whole (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and then set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light & fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Blend in the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, white distilled vinegar, and red food coloring until blended. Reduce the speed to low, and beat in a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture, beating each addition until just incorporated. Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been used, and then mix in the final third of the dry ingredients (do not over-beat). 
3. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop the batter onto the prepared pans. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes, until they can be safely transferred to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before filling. 
4. To Make the Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Filling: In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the cream cheese & butter on medium-high speed until well combined & smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the sifted confectioners’ sugar & cinnamon until totally incorporated and smooth. Transfer the frosting to a clean pastry bag fitted with a plan round tip, and fill the big with the frosting.
5. Pair the cookies up by shape and size. Flip over one cookie of each pair, so that the flat side is facing up. Pipe the frosting onto the flat-sided cookie of each pair, leaving the edges clear. Sandwich the cookies together, so that the flat sides are facing each other and press gently to help the filling to reach the edges. Roll the edges of the frosting in crushed red hot candies for a nice crunch & presentation. 
6. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to eat!

source: red velvet whoopie pies.


*Check out Sweets For A Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!*

Revamped: Homemade Gourmet Oreos

We went to the beach yesterday, and it was such a great day. It was super windy, so you couldn't even feel the 100 degree heat beating down on you. We had a picnic and just relaxed in the sun for the day. It was especially nice because my Mountain Man went out of town to visit home this morning for the weekend, so I won't get to see him until Sunday :( Not so much fun for me. But, here are some pictures from our day yesterday...

Gorgeous Beach Water 

Lookin' Out at the Water 

Me & My Mountain Man

When we got back from the beach, I knew that I wanted something sweet. So, I looked through the pantry to decide what I should bake. I ended up having everything I needed to make some Oreos. I realize I have already made Homemade Oreos once before. I liked the recipe a lot, but I knew at some point I wanted to update it. I just love retro desserts. It's so much fun making old classics into something new & delicious. I used a little scalloped edge cookie cutter, just so that they were that much cuter. It just had the best vintage feel. These cute little cookies were awesome. I mean, we loved these. For the cookie, I decided to make a classic French chocolate sable cookie with lots of cocoa powder and fresh grated dark chocolate, for a richer & deeper flavor. But more importantly, I wanted to make a better filling for these cookies. I didn't want to use any butter or vegetable shortening, but something more luscious. I ended up making a white chocolate ganache, and it was the perfect filling between those dark chocolate cookies. I also sprinkled a little bit of fleur de sel on top of the cookies because I always do, it just makes it soooo much better. We really really loved these, they are already gone (my recipe made about 24 cookie sandwiches)! Enjoy :)

See the Specks of Fleur de Sel

A Stack of Homemade Gourmet Oreos with White Chocolate Ganache

Homemade Gourmet Oreos

For the Chocolate Sable Cookies:

1C AP Flour

1/3C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1t Instant Espresso Powder

½t Baking Soda

½C Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

2/3C Sugar

1 Egg

¼t Sea Salt

¾t Vanilla

3.5oz 70% Chocolate, Grated

Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling

For the White Chocolate Ganache Filling:

½C Heavy Cream

8oz Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips

½T Unsalted Butter

½t Vanilla 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set them aside.
2. To Make the Chocolate Sable Cookies: Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a bowl and set it aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, egg, salt, and vanilla until light & fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the dry ingredients and the grated chocolate and mix until just combined (the dough will be a crumbly, wet sand texture). Wrap the dough up tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll the dough out to ½inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a scalloped edge cookie cutter, cut the dough into 1-2inch cookies. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, roughly two inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel. Bake the cookies until they are firm, about 12-14 minutes. Remove the baked cookies from the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool while you make the white chocolate ganache filling.
3. To Make the White Chocolate Ganache Filling: Heat a medium saucepan on low heat and add in the heavy cream. Add the white chocolate chips into a mixing bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, but keeping a close eye on it, so it doesn’t boil over. Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes, and then whisk together to melt the chocolate. Finally, stir in the butter. Once it is melted & thick, lay plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (whisking every 10 minutes or so to make sure it stays smooth).
4. To Assemble the Homemade Oreo Cookies: Once the cookies & ganache have both cooled & chilled, fill a pastry bag with a ½inch round tip with the white chocolate ganache. Pipe teaspoon-size dollops of the filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie on top of the ganache. Lightly press down to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with ganache.
5. Refrigerate the Oreo for about an hour (I like them best cold, so I kept mine in the refrigerator) and serve with a large glass of milk!

*Check out Sweets for a Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!*

Half Baked Bread Pudding "Ice Cream"

Have y'all seen the new show, Sugar High, hosted by Duff Goldman on the Food Network? If you haven't you should, go set your DVR right now. It's like Diners, Drive In's, & Dives but for dessert-minded people (which I love). I was so excited when I saw the preview for this show, and the premiere did not disappoint. The first episode featured Schulzies Bread Pudding in California. I have never really been a bread pudding fan, but I watched on to see what her twist on an old classic would be. Ends up, she makes it completely different. Instead of serving the bread pudding hot, like we have probably all had it as kids, she serves it cold, scooped like ice cream (look at my picture, doesn't it really look like ice cream). I was instantly intrigued because I didn't like bread pudding because of it being hot and soggy. She insisted to Duff, that by chilling it, the pudding would become similar to a custard or an ice cream. So I thought, why not... let's give this a try. I just had to decide on a flavor. She has 108 flavors available to try... YES, that is the correct number. I didn't mess it up, I promise. Anyway, I looked at a few flavors and decided to kind of go with what I was craving. I ended up making "Half Baked Bread Pudding", which is inspired from the Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor. I had already once remade Phish Food ice cream before, so I figured I'd use another flavor as inspiration. I used Italian bread, brownies, chocolate chips, and cookie dough to make this bread pudding "ice cream", and it turned out great! Once it is cold, it really does taste similar to ice cream. If you don't like bread pudding, I'd really give it a try... it's just a totally different take on something you would never expect. Enjoy :)

Half Baked Bread Pudding "Ice Cream"

For the Bread Pudding:

2C Sugar

5 Large Eggs, Beaten

2C Milk

2t Vanilla

1 ½C Italian Bread, Stale & Torn into Bite-Size Pieces

1 ½C Brownie Pieces

½C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

½C White Chocolate Chips

For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

5T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1/3C Light Brown Sugar

3T Sugar

¼t Salt

1t Vanilla

¾C Flour

2/3C Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. To Make the Bread Pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9 baking dish with Pam, and set it aside. Place the torn Italian bread pieces, brownie pieces, and chocolate chips into the pan (mixed together). Mix together the sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and vanilla bean in a bowl until smooth.  Pour the batter over the bread pieces in the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for 15-20 minutes, and then cover with tin foil and refrigerate overnight until chilled.
3. To Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set this aside until ready to mix into the chilled bread pudding.
4. To Mix Up the Bread Pudding: Once the bread pudding has chilled and set in the refrigerator overnight, get the pan out and using your hands break up the pudding until it is light and fluffy (into pieces). Get your prepared cookie dough mixture and form them into rough balls and the place them evenly throughout the torn bread pudding mixture.
5. To Serve the Half-Baked Bread Pudding “Ice Cream”: Scoop the bread pudding into bowls and serve with some whipped cream.

source: the best bread pudding. 


*Check out Sweets for a Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!*

"Southern Classics" White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake

What kind of cakes do y'all think of when you think of the South? Obviously for me it is Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Coconut Cake, and maybe a few others that I'm just not thinking of. Well, I already make a different kind of Red Velvet Cake every other week, I know it's getting ridiculous. But, it's my absolute favorite. So, when one of my best friends from high school asked for me to bake her a cake for her birthday this weekend, I decided to let her choose, since ya know... it's her birthday & all. She had tasted Mountain Man's Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting when I made it for his birthday, so she wanted that cake again. I didn't want to make the same cake because that just wouldn't be special. I asked her if I could put my little twist on it, and she said that was fine. Well, my twist was going to include Carrot Cake (since she requested it), but it was also going to include Hummingbird Cake + White Chocolate Cheesecake. YES, you heard me right... I didn't stutter. Three different cakes in one glorious birthday cake. If y'all aren't from the South and you haven't heard of Hummingbird Cake. It is like the sister of Carrot Cake. Instead of shredded carrots, the cake has mashed bananas, crushed pineapples, and chopped pecans. It also has cream cheese frosting, just like Carrot Cake, which was kind of the common denominator that I knew would drive these two together. Since they are sort of similar, I thought they would be great together in one cake, and boy was I right. These cakes were born to be layered together. But I couldn't just do any ole' cream cheese frosting... I had to kick it up a notch. Instead of frosting in between each cake, I layered in White Chocolate Cheesecake. YESSSSSS. Cheesecake in a layer cake? Amazing. It tasted exactly like a cake with frosting, but with a little more body and well, deliciousness. To tie it all together, I made a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. This cake was by far my favorite cake that I have baked so far, in all its' Southern glory. Please make this cake for your next party, birthday, holiday, or today... whatever. It doesn't matter. It's worth it. And sorry for the kind of bad pictures, it was hard to get a good lookin' picture when you're celebrating & chowing down at the same time! Enjoy :)

The Whole "Southern Classics" White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake

The Cake Gettin' Sliced Into

Layers of Hummingbird Cake, White Chocolate Cheesecake, Carrot Cake,  & White Chocolate Cream Frosting

"Southern Classics" White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake

For the Hummingbird Cake Layers:

1 ½C AP Flour

½t Baking Soda

½t Salt

1C Sugar

½t Cinnamon

2 Large Eggs, Beaten

½C Vegetable Oil   

1t Vanilla

4oz Crushed Pineapple, Undrained

½C Chopped Pecans

1C Chopped Bananas

For the Carrot Cake Layers:

2 Eggs

½C + 2T Vegetable Oil

1C Sugar

1C AP Flour

1t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

1t Cinnamon

Pinch of Ground Ginger

1 ½C Grated Carrot

½C Golden Raisins

½C Chopped Pecans

For the White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:

¼C White Chocolate Chips, Melted & Cooled

4 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

1C + 4T Sugar

2T AP Flour

4 Eggs, Room Temperature

2t Vanilla

2T Heavy Cream

For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese, Softened

1 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

½C White Chocolate Chips, Melted

1t Vanilla

2C Confectioners’ Sugar

Toasted Coconut, For Decoration      

Pineapple Slices, For Decoration

Pecans, For Decoration

White Chocolate Chips, For Decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray 7 cake tins (2 Carrot Cake, 2 Hummingbird, & 3 Cheesecake) with Pam and line with parchment, and then set them aside.

2. To Make the Hummingbird Cake Layers: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and add the eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened (do not beat). Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, pecans, and bananas. Pour the batter into two prepared cake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and then remove from the pans and cool completely on the wire racks. *Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to help with stacking*

3. To Make the Carrot Cake Layers: In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the carrots, and the fold in the pecans, and golden raisins. Pour the cake batter into the other 2 prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. *Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to help with stacking*

4. To Make the White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 3 cake pans with parchment paper and spray with Pam. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy, and then slowly add in the sugar, mixing slowly until smooth. On low speed, mix in the flour. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Add one egg at a time; making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla and cream until the mixture is smooth. Using a large spoon, fold in the melted white chocolate until just incorporated. Pour the batter equally into the prepared pans and bake for about 30-45 minutes or until the center is set when you slightly shake the pan. Allowing to cool completely before removing from the pan. Place into the refrigerator and chill the cheesecakes overnight before assembling the cake.

5. To Make the White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the melted white chocolate and vanilla. Next, beat in the sifted confectioners’ sugar until blended and smooth. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes in order to set up a little.

6. To Assemble the Cake: Place one layer of humming bird cake and layer on some of the cream cheese, followed by one layer of the cooled cheesecake, another layer of cream cheese frosting, a layer of carrot cake and some more cream cheese frosting. Repeat this process until all the cake has been used. Finish by spread the cream cheese frosting up the sides and on the top in a smooth, even layer (swirling decoratively). Press the toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake and top with the different garnishes on top of the cake. Put the cake in the refrigerator to set up the frosting, about 30 minutes. But then let the cake come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before eating.

*Check out Sweets for a Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!*

Homemade Oreos

Hi everyone! I hope where you are is prettier than here, it's just not a pretty day here in Savannah :( Anyway, I'm sure everyone has that one thing that they love... and that they have to keep in their apartment for the late night snack or dessert. We definitely do. It's Mint Oreos. We keep them in my favorite cookie jar in the world, Mr. Owl. I have to have one every night, it's my guilty little pleasure, and well Clayton has to have like 5, no joke.  But to my dismay, I go to Mr. Owl to retrieve a cookie, and there weren't any left :(

Mr. Owl with no Mint Oreos

So that completely sucked. But luckily I had stored away a homemade oreo recipe that I had been dying to try, and I guess this was the perfect opportunity to make them. So, now Mr. Owl is full again with lots and lots of oreos; he's so happy! Well... Enjoy :)

Homemade Oreos

For the Cookie:

1 ¼C AP Flour

½C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1t Baking Soda

¼t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

1C Sugar

1 Stick + 2T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1 Large Egg

For the Filling:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

½C Vegetable Shortening

3C Powdered Sugar, Sifted

1t Vanilla

Green Dye, If Needed

Mint Extract, If Needed

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with Pam.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, soda, powder, salt, and sugar. Then slowly add in the softened butter and egg. Mix until incorporated. Using a small ice cream scoop (or a teaspoon), scoop balls of cookie dough on the prepared sheets and bake each sheet for 9 minutes (flipping the sheets halfway through).

3. Once the cookies are done cooking, let them cool for 5 minutes on their cookie sheet, and then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling by beating together the shortening and butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the powdered and vanilla. Also, I added some mint extract and green dye to the filling because our favorite Oreo is the Mint Oreo. But the possibilities are endless, so you can make any type of filling you like.

5. Spoon on about a teaspoon of the filling into the middle of the cookie and top with another cookies. Slowly squeeze the cookies together, so that the filling spreads evenly.

6. Enjoy! 

source: homemade oreos

Homemade Twix Bars

It's another lonely night at the apartment for me, since Clayton had to work all day today :( I guess it's a good thing because I was actually semi-productive and studied all day for my test on Monday. But I took a study break to make some Homemade Twix Bars. They have a nice shortbread layer that's just the perfect texture, a salty-sweet caramel layer, and smooth, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate layer. If you like Twix Bars, then you will definitely like these! Well, enjoy :)

Homemade Twix Bars

For the Shortbread:

1 Stick + 3T Unsalted Butter, Softened

¼C Sugar

1 ¾C AP Flour

¼t Salt

2T Ground Rice, Sifted

For the Caramel:

2C Sugar

¾C Light Corn Syrup

½C Water

1t Lemon Juice

1C Heavy Cream

1C Sweetened, Condensed Milk

¼t Salt

Salt, For Sprinkling Over Caramel Layer

For the Chocolate Topping:

1 ½C Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

4T Butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with Pam.

2. To make the Shortbread: in a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Gradually add the flour, salt, and ground rice. To make the ground rice flour, blend any rice that you have in your kitchen until it is a fine powder. Sift this rice power, so that there are no large rice pieces. After the dough is incorporated, press it into the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate and bake for another 10 minutes until the shortbread is lightly golden. Let this cool while you make the caramel layer.

3. To make the Caramel: Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and lemon juice in a sauté pan and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil (do not whisk). Once this mixture begins to turn caramel brown, insert a candy thermometer and when the mixture reaches 300 degrees F, remove from heat and let it sit for 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy cream, then the condensed milk, then salt until smooth. Return the pan back to the heat, and cook until the caramel reaches 240 degrees F. Remove from heat and pour over the shortbread. Let it set at room temperature for 2 hours.

4. For the Chocolate Topping: Heat the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is just melted, then whisk until incorporated. Spread this chocolate mixture over the caramel layer until an even, thick layer of chocolate covers the caramel. Cool in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut.

5. Cut the Twix Bars into small rectangles. When I’m giving these Twix Bars to friends, I like to wrap them in wax paper, so they look like individual candies. But you can easily just cut them and keep them in your refrigerator for easy snacking.

6. Enjoy!

source: homemade twix bars